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Paddling down the creek two days ago I happened upon a forest of bamboo. I can describe it, but it would not do it justice. I decided to climb through a thin strip and found a magnolia tree which I at first believed to be hundreds of years old. If you like climbing trees, you would be sorely envious. Anyway, today I went back to collect some bamboo after realizing the Incredible amount of uses it has. So far I have a blow gun, staff, musical instrument, and the makings of a hut.

I met the owner, old old guy, really friendly and generous. He gave me roots (rhyzomes) that spread underground like grass and grow shoots at the nodes. (Apparently bamboo is very invasive so I am introducing it guerilla style all over my parents and grandparents property.) It matures to 30+ feet in less than three years. It is hollow except for rock hard disks spaced a foot apart on the stem. At the disks 2 new shoots grow out. Then at the next disk 180 degrees around, 2 more shoots grow out. The forest is so thick that you can hardly squeeze through. It gets very bushy with all the leaf growth at higher heights, creating a huge canopy.

For all you suburbanites and everyone else.. I strongly urge you to replace your lawn with bamboo. Do you want to mow that lawn down? It is a burden and a sign of inferiority IMHO. You cut down these little grass shoots, never letting them grow tall and mature, walking on them. This is likely a metaphor for your life.

Bamboo requires no care, no pesticides, no fertilizing. It is beautiful and edible. It gives privacy few plants can offer. And most importantly, it's creative uses are nearly enless. I will name some for you: Wind chimes, buildings (houses, huts, etc.), weapons, watercraft, bridges, ladders, pool sticks, dildos,...use your imagination.

Bamboo is twisted by using somewhat thick wires, when new shoots come out, they are very leafy and over time turn into the characteristic woody (lignaceous) tube that is a characteristic of bamboo. They bend the shoots around the wires as they grow since they're green and not lignified yet. They have to stay bent around those wires for some time until they turn lignaceous and become a woody tube like the main branch it's coming from. Then they unwrap the wire and the new shoot is twisty and thick, but normally they sit twisted in the wire for nearly a year.

As for the nomenclature of the bamboo in stores, i'm not quite sure i'll see if i can look it up somewhere.

edit: the stuff they sell in stores they call "lucky bamboo" that you normally find all twisty and stuff is botanically Dracaena sanderana

you can do it, but you have to cut it near the sieve plate disk, also make sure it has some leaves or new shoots off of the shoot you plan on cutting. The tube is photosynthetic, but having some leaves helps too.